Black Church Plans Resilience Hubs with Bidirectional Charging: Five Move Forward, in Spite of Challenges

The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Georgia plans to build 18 resilience hubs--and eventually up to 482. Five are moving forward right now. Churches are being offered a menu of options, with the highest level of resilience including solar, storage, bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy efficiency.

Since this interview was recorded, the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" law phased out investment tax credits for solar, wind and EVs, which is expected to undermine the church's ambitious efforts. But the first five hubs are set to be completed, providing sanctuaries for church members and their larger communities.

Some Black community members may see the resilience hubs as "science fiction," so it's important to use the first hubs to educate people about their benefits, said James Gaymon, director of operations for social justice for the Sixth District AME Church in Georgia. He describes the numerous hurricane-sparked outages these communities face in Georgia--at least one a year, with a recent power loss lasting 18 days.

Background reading:

Where Black Communities Fit into the Energy Transition

Low-Income Communities are the First to Lose Power. How RMI is Helping Deploy Resilience Hubs

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